Baby Shopping
by Kristen3
Summary: Sequel to "The Future's Dreams" by crazysockmonkeys. Niles has decided to buy a baby gift for Roz, so he asks a certain English healthcare worker for help. A simple shopping trip leads to something neither of them could've predicted. One-shot, written as a birthday gift for Leigh Ann (leighann415)!


**Author's Note: **Many thanks to Aria (crazysockmonkeys) for writing "The Future's Dreams." Although the story was written as a birthday present to Leigh Ann (leighann415), I felt the need to write a sequel. So this is also a gift of sorts to Leigh Ann. I had considered splitting this, but in the end, I felt it was better as a one-shot.

As Niles drove home from the hospital, his emotions were going in a hundred directions at once. He knew he should be thinking of Roz, and the new baby she'd just had. But, as usual, his mind was on Daphne. Of course she would be happy for her best friend. But it saddened him to think that she doubted whether she was attractive enough to ever have a family of her own. The idea was preposterous. Never in his life had Niles seen a more beautiful woman. The only trouble was, she had no idea he felt that way.

With a sigh, he pulled into his parking spot at The Montana. Something about seeing that new baby had stirred something in him. His own life seemed to be going nowhere, even as the lives of those around him changed. No doubt Frasier and Daphne would help take care of this new little one. Where did that leave Niles? He would be in the same place he'd always been: Here. Alone.

But maybe it didn't have to be that way. After all, Roz was a part of his life, too. Sure, they'd never gotten along, but maybe they could, if he tried. Perhaps a peace offering would be in order. Babies needed an awful lot of paraphernalia. Niles knew this because he'd had several patients who were pregnant. They often became overwhelmed with the task of making sure they had all of the equipment necessary to take care of their little bundle of joy. Suddenly, Niles felt a new sense of purpose. He could hardly wait to put his plan into action.

Even the next morning, Daphne could not shake off the excitement. Her best friend was now a mother. It seemed as if everything had changed overnight. Was it really only a few months ago that she and Roz had sat at Nervosa, whispering to each other about the men in the cafe? Now Roz was responsible for another human life. These thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock at the door of apartment 1901.

"Hello, Dr. Crane."

Niles smiled at the sight of her. "Good morning, Daphne. You look lovely."

Daphne blushed at once. "I'm wearing me robe and slippers! But that's awfully sweet of you to say. Would you like some breakfast?"

"I would, but first I wonder if I could ask a favor of you."

"Of course, Dr. Crane. You're always so sweet to me. I'll be glad to help you in any way I can."

"Thank you. I was thinking last night, after we left the hospital, that Roz probably needs a few things, now that she has a baby. But I haven't the slightest idea what those things might be. So I was hoping you could spare a few hours to go shopping with me."

Daphne hesitated for a moment. "I was going to go down to the hospital to visit with Roz for a while this morning. But I suppose we could pick up a few things first."

"Wonderful."

"Niles, you're here awfully early," Frasier said as he emerged from his room.

"Morning, Dr. Crane. Your brother and I are going to do a bit of shopping before we go down to visit Roz."

Frasier looked at his little brother. His eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Niles recognized Frasier's expression. It meant, 'What on earth are you doing?!' In response, he said, "Now, Frasier, Daphne works so hard here, looking after dad, and doing her chores. Surely you can do without her for a few hours."

The elder Dr. Crane sighed. "Yes, I suppose so. Tell Roz I'll be over later to see her and the baby."

Daphne nodded.

Breakfast went quickly. Martin was relieved to know that his exercises were being pushed back because of Daphne's visit to the hospital. Frasier was still annoyed that Niles had talked Daphne into going shopping, but he knew there was no way to stop them without making everyone uncomfortable.

When Daphne stood to clear the table, Niles eagerly offered to help.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane!" Daphne was surprised when he voluntarily carried his own dishes back into the kitchen.

Niles blushed. "Well, it's the least I can do since you're helping me find a gift for Roz."

Daphne looked at him in silence for a moment, wondering why all men couldn't be this sweet. Then she recovered herself. "Well, it looks like we're all finished here. I just need to change me clothes, and then we can go. All right?"

Niles nodded. Daphne quickly went to her room to change, emerging just moments later. He and Daphne walked over to the coat rack, where Niles carefully helped Daphne on with her coat.

Before walking out the door, Daphne turned to Mr. Crane. "I'll be back in plenty of time to do your exercises, so don't go thinking you're off the hook!"

Martin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

Moments later, Niles and Daphne were at the elevator. They rode down and made their way toward where Niles' Mercedes was parked. He held the car door open for her, then went around to get in the drivers' side. As Niles drove, Daphne gave directions to the nearest store which specialized in baby items. Niles was rather surprised that they had entire stores devoted to infants. But he supposed it shouldn't be such a shock. After all, he knew of stores which featured only imported wines.

When they arrived at their destination, Daphne turned to Niles. "Now, Roz already has all of the larger items. The crib, the changing table, that sort of thing. But she can always use more toys and onesies."

Niles looked at her in confusion. "What on earth is a onesie?"

Daphne laughed. "You'll see. Come on."

They entered the store, and Niles was in shock. He'd never seen so many baby-related items in one place before.

Daphne once again laughed at his reaction. "Come on." She took his hand, leading him over to where baby outfits were located.

Niles had to remind himself to breathe when he felt her hand covering his. He might easily have become overwhelmed in a place such as this, but with her at his side, he felt perfectly safe. "Now, these are the onesies." She gestured toward a display before them which held little one-piece outfits. Many had cute sayings on the front. "All of these are for girls," she explained. That much was obvious from the abundance of pink all around. She pointed to a shelf behind them. "Those are for boys. So, do you see anything you like?"

For a moment, Niles nearly blurted out that, yes, he did see something he liked. But then he remembered she was referring to the merchandise. He began examining the onesies up close. He saw a pink one with the words "Mommy's Angel" written across the chest. "This one looks nice."

Daphne smiled. "It is lovely. I'm sure Roz will love it. Alice does seem quite angelic, doesn't she?"

Niles nodded. Once again, he was struck by her beauty. He could not help staring for a moment.

The way Dr. Crane was looking at her made Daphne feel a bit uncomfortable. "Is there anything else you'd like to get?"

Reluctantly, he returned his gaze to the outfits. But he was disappointed to find that he didn't like many of the other onesies on display.

Daphne began to sense that he couldn't make up his mind. "Perhaps we can find something else. You don't need to buy any more onesies. Let's go look at toys."

Niles was grateful when she slipped her hand back into his. She carried the little outfit he'd picked and led him to yet another part of the store. Now they were surrounded by stuffed animals of every size and shape. Immediately, Daphne reached out to grab a small stuffed panda off the shelf. "Ooh, he's so soft." She held the animal close, stroking its fur. For a moment, she was caught up her in memories of the stuffed animals she'd had as a little girl. Then she came back to reality, blushing a bit. "You must think I'm daft. A grown woman making such a fuss over a child's toy."

"I'd never think that, Daphne. I think you're a very caring and kind person."

Daphne blushed at his compliment. "Thank you. You're very sweet." She kissed his cheek.

Niles felt a warmth in the place where her lips touched him. When she drew back, he suddenly remembered what she'd said the previous night about being unattractive. "You're beautiful." The words were out before he'd had a chance to stop himself.

"What?" Daphne asked in disbelief.

"Well, I was just thinking of what you said last night, about not being able to find someone with whom to start a family. I can't stand the thought of you feeling so alone. Daphne, I love you. I've been afraid to tell you until now." He reached out to caress her cheek. It felt softer than he'd imagined.

Daphne hardly knew what to say or think. "Oh, Dr. Crane." Her heart raced as she looked into his eyes. But as the shock slowly wore off, she felt something else take its place. She couldn't quite put a finger on what it was, but she somehow knew it would eventually turn into love. How could it not, when the person standing in front of her was the sweetest man she'd ever met? She leaned forward to kiss him.

Niles couldn't believe it when he felt Daphne's lips on his. He'd imagined what it would feel like to kiss her so many times over the years. And yet, the reality was a hundred times better than he'd thought possible. As the kiss ended, he reached over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "What do we do now?"

Daphne smiled, touched by the gesture. "We should go and see Roz. I'm sure she'll want to show us the baby again. And then we can tell her our good news, too."

"That sounds wonderful," Niles replied. "I can already tell that Alice Doyle is going to be a very lucky little girl."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I am sure that Roz will do her very best to be a good mother." As much as Frasier's producer got on his nerves, he had to admit that this pregnancy had changed her. "And she's also got the most beautiful godmother in the world."

Daphne smiled at once. She knew that people often said babies brought a little more love into the world. She'd never really understood that until now. But it was more than clear that little Alice had changed Daphne's life completely since she'd been born. Someday, when Alice was old enough to understand, Daphne would have to thank her.

**The End**


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